As an Realtor, I always recomend a home inspection. I recently had a client purchase a new construction spec home and they asked whether they should have a home inspection done. I let them know that it isn't as common on new homes as it is on re-sale, but that I recommend it on all homes. During new construction, I think it is worth it and at a minimum it allows an extra set of eyes beyond the construction superintendant and the city/county inspector. It is always good to get a look "inside the walls" before the drywall goes up.
In this case it is a completed spec home , so you might think, what can the inspector find that I wouldn't see. The answer... plenty. There was a section of two rows of roof tiles missing (about 10 linear feet) on a section of roof that was difficult to see from the ground. What kind of issue would you imagine after some heavy rains? The home as most new construction is billed as having Low-E windows. The inspector used a special meter to determine that two of the windows weren't Low-E. This is not something that is easy to determine by just looking at the windows. There were some additional minor items as well.
The customer service rep was emabarrased and said he was very upset at these issues. The simple point is that if this buyer had done what most new construction buyers do (not have an inspection) they wouldn't have known they weren't getting what they were promised and would eventually have discovered the roof issue when there was a leak. They thanked me for making the recommendation.
Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. An inspection like this may save a lot of headaches and money in the future.
Adam Tarr PC
Citywide Real Estate
Phoenix, AZ
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